It’s Over

Here’s how Washington works. Each Wednesday morning conservative activists and operatives gather at a large meeting room at Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform in downtown Washington to discuss matters. Sometimes or even often times a prominent guest drops by. But the meeting operates under a simple rule — it’s off the record. Everyone respects it. No one goes rushing off afterward to spill the beans on a blog site like this one about what was said.

Yesterday at ATR, even though a few prominent Bush representatives showed up to defend the selection of Harriet Miers — and were soundly criticized for their efforts — it didn’t make news. Not until the Washington Post reported on the event, among others, in the first editions of today’s paper. Its reporters clearly aren’t honor-bound by the rules of the Wednesday gathering. Enough gossip was flying about town after the meeting at ATR that they could easily piece things together.

Conservatives end up taking the higher road, but the media bias brigade controls the spin. On page one.

We’re now in day four of Miers-Bush. Usually a storm in Washington lasts no more than an hour or two, if that long. But this one is different. It hasn’t really let up. The breach that has opened up between Bush and the right now seems permanent. This is one no Army Corps of Engineers can fix. Robert Novak has the definitive take.